Keyframe
by Tsuki no Tennyo
Summary: [Companion piece to 'Avenoir' - ongoing series] Sess/Kag. — The missing years.
1. Honeymoon

**Author's Note:** Welcome to my new little series that I will occasionally dabble in when the mood strikes. This is basically just little ficlets of all of the married life scenes of Sess/Kag that I wasn't able to fit in with 'Avenoir' (coughsIgotlazycoughs).

This will be a lighter angst than 'Avenoir' since I'll be elaborating more on their "happier" years with each other as well as introducing the children I've alluded to previously. Honestly, I really just wanted an excuse to write bittersweet married!Sess/Kag without having to set up the whole thing. :P Side warning: This series is very low on my priority list (I'd started in early 2017, if that's any kind of indication), since it's really just a bunch of loose side stories of 'Avenoir', so don't expect frequent updates. Fun fact! Yesterday was the third anniversary of 'Avenoir'. Hee.

(And yes, I do recommend reading 'Avenoir' first, if you haven't already.)

* * *

 **Keyframe**  
 _by Tsuki no Tennyo_

 **Honeymoon**

* * *

 **keyframe** – _n._ a moment that seemed innocuous at the time but ended up marking a diversion into a strange new era of your life

 **– The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows**

* * *

It wasn't the sound of the ocean waves crashing outside their resort room that woke her up, but the sudden tightening of her newly wedded husband's embrace that stirred her out of her light slumber. After several repeated blinks to adjust her eyes to the dark room, she looked down at the arm wrapped around her bare waist that held her close to his chest all night long.

Her finger traced the markings on his arm; he had dropped his concealment spell the night before, as he always did even during their "courting" time when he was alone with her. She had preferred it, and he in turn was grateful, though he had never expressed the sentiment aloud, but she could see the smallest of smile on his face and the spark of life in his eyes.

Her finger glided down the stripes, dancing across the back of his hand before gently touching a single claw. His finger twitched.

"It is not even dawn yet, Kagome," she heard her husband—how strangely lovely that word sounded, she mused—murmured softly, his eyes still closed. She twisted her body so she was facing him, and she smiled even wider when he cracked one golden eye open.

"Then we have time to go watch the sunrise," she said in turn, laughing lightly when he seemed to scowl at the suggestion with both eyes open now.

"They are all the same," he answered in the same hushed tone.

"Oh, I don't think so," she said, the amused lilt in her voice prevalent. "You cannot tell me this sunrise is the same as the one from yesterday, or even five centuries ago."

"Stubborn, silly human sentiments."

She didn't take any offense to his comment, hearing only a perplexed amusement instead of intentional malice.

"Well, I _am_ human," she pointed out, quirking her brow as she said it. She instantly regretted her choice of response when his eyes darkened, realizing the thought that always hung in his mind, even though they had talked about this subject time and time again. It never seemed to get easier.

"Yes," he said, his voice seeming to grow even quieter, "you are."

She moved even closer, burrowing into his embrace, and feeling his arm seeming to hold her even closer to his body. She could almost hear his heart pounding away in his chest.

"I'm sorry. I was only teasing you," she said, her voice muffled against his body, but his heightened hearing picked up every single word and even the ones hidden in between. She felt his clawed hand gently rubbing soothing circles against her back.

"Do not be sorry. I enjoy your teasing."

She scoffed softly, still silently admonishing herself for her lack of thought. "Yeah, but I do have a tendency of ruining the mood too, right?"

"Well, you are human."

She tried to laugh, but it sounded more strangled than she would have liked. She pulled back just enough to look at his face, to study his expression. There was still a dullness in his eyes that she wished to erase, but he seemed to have refocused his attention to the present here in their private little resort room in a place that most would considered paradise with its white sands, warm ocean, and perfectly untouched by modern time.

He was always so resilient, she thought to herself, admiring all of the wonderful traits that he himself did not see. Only someone as strong as him could live for so long through the most tumultuous of years and the most ruthless of enemies. He was so resilient, and he was hers, just as she was his, if only for a flicker of a moment in his long life.

She allowed herself one soft smile as she grabbed at one of his hands, guiding it down to rest on her hip. She drummed her fingers against the back of his hand, coyly inviting him to explore her body all over again.

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"Not since…" his voice trailed off as his eyes traveled to the white lace bridal slip that lay on the floor, torn to shreds during the heat of the moment when he was zealous about disrobing his new blushing bride.

"Oh," she said, having followed his gaze. Her expression reddened prettily in spite of the mischievous smile on her face, "So, what, four hours ago?"

He shrugged. "More or less."

"Sunrise won't be here for another two hours," she started with a wicked glint in her eye and ignoring the fact that he had never explicitly agreed to her earlier suggestion. "We have some time to kill."

"What do you suggest?" He answered with an equally impish smirk, though his hand had already started grazing further down her thigh.

"Hm, sudoku?" She laughed off his instant frown. "Or we could do that other thing you like."

"The latter sounds splendid," he answered, already pinning her down on the bed. He brushed his lips against her neck, warming her skin with his hot breath. He breathed against her ear, sending a smile to her face, "I'll watch all of the sunrises and sunsets with you, Kagome, however long or brief our time together will be, my wife."

She felt her stomach fluttered with butterflies when he called her his wife, just as giddy as she felt when thinking of him as her husband.

What a strange, wonderful development in her life, she thought, cupping his face and kissing him soundly as the only noise to fill the room was the wave crashing on the shores just a short distance away from their room.


	2. Smiles

**Author's Note:** Oh, hey, have something I wrote last March. Featuring a little guest introduced in 'Avenoir', so um, reread that if you don't remember her.

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 **Keyframe**  
 _by Tsuki no Tennyo_

 **Smiles**

* * *

It was an hour past noon when Sesshoumaru was walking through the hospital halls, finally finding some available time to rest. He paused momentarily, catching a pleasant floral scent among the sterile environment, which he recognized instantly was Kagome. He headed in her direction, pondering all the while about whether or not he had forgotten about meeting her today.

He would never forget. He was positive of that. She must be here on her own accord then, he decided.

He kept up a brisk pace as he headed in the direction of his wife, pausing only when he picked up another familiar scent. Frowning, he wondered why it seemed like the two scents were intermingling in the same spot. He walked faster, and just as he was about to turn at a corner, he stopped, hearing a bright young girl's voice.

"Are you Dr. Nishimura's wife?" he heard his young patient, Asako, asked curiously, "You are very pretty."

He took a glance from around the corner, seeing his wife stooped low so she was at eye-level with the little curly-haired girl. The skirt of her yellow sundress draped around her as she smiled brilliantly and nodded. "Thank you and I am. My name is Kagome," she introduced herself to the little girl, "Are you Dr. Nishimura's patient?"

"I am," the girl answered in the same tone as Kagome, smiling just as bright. "My name is Asako! I'm eight years old." She grinned widely, and from the look on Kagome's face, Sesshoumaru surmised that his kindhearted wife had already fallen under the charms of one of the hospital's younger patients.

"Do you like Dr. Nishimura?" Kagome leaned in and whispered softly, though Sesshoumaru managed to pick up every single word. "It's alright if you don't. He can be a big meanie."

Asako grinned at the latter comment, and then feeling suddenly shy, she clasped her hands behind her and rocked back and forth on her heels. "I like Dr. Nishimura," she said, face turning a bit bright, "He is _very_ handsome and nice."

Kagome quirked a brow at the latter comment, never once having heard "nice" as being attributed to her stoic husband in all of the years she had known him. She realized he had had centuries of growth and changes, but not enough to be attributed as "nice".

"Is he now?"

"Well," Asako said, feeling like she had just fibbed a bit, "he's nice to _me_. The other doctors say he can be a…well, I'm not supposed to use that word. But the nurses like him a lot too!"

Kagome laughed at this, "Well, he does have a soft spot for sweet little girls, even if he won't admit it aloud."

At this, Sesshoumaru left his hiding spot, walking across the tiled floor to meet his wife and his little patient, who both seemed to be enjoying themselves quite well at his expense.

"Kagome," he greeted, startling her.

She stood up, straightening her dress, as she sighed at him, exasperated. "A little warning would have been nice, you know."

"I could say the same, my dear," he answered back, casting his young patient a quirk of his brow when she stood up, grinning at him. "Asako, why are you not in your room? Nurse Ito will be upset with you again."

Asako pouted. "I met Kagome when I was on my way to the gift shop." She hurried along in her explanation before Sesshoumaru could question her about why she was heading to the hospital gift shop in the first place. "She was asking a nurse where you were, so I stopped to talk with her."

Then she gestured for Sesshoumaru to stoop down lower so she could whisper a secret to him. He humored her, kneeling on one knee, so she could share her secret with him.

"Kagome is very pretty," she said in a hushed tone, though it was still loud enough that even Kagome caught the secret being shared, but she pretended to be ignorant for Asako's sake.

"I know," Sesshoumaru whispered back, looking at Kagome out of the corner of his eye, "That is one of the many reasons why I had married her."

He smirked inwardly when Kagome turned away not-so-discreetly, face appearing flushed.

Asako grinned. "Kagome said she was here to take you out to lunch! Oops…!" She covered her mouth instantly when she remembered something she had promised earlier. "I'm sorry, Kagome, I ruined your surprise, didn't I?"

Kagome shook her head gently. "It's alright, Asako, he probably already knew it anyway." She paused, seeing the young girl looking a bit sullen. "I know, let's all have lunch together here then."

"Here?" Sesshoumaru and Asako both asked simultaneously, with the younger of the two wrinkling her nose in disgust.

She nodded. "It can't be that bad, right?"

 **.**

"It's tofu again," Asako sighed, grimacing as she stared at the cold food on her tray, having hoped that today's lunch would include chicken katsu instead. She reached for the small plate of orange wedges on her tray, which was the only food she deemed decent.

Kagome laughed. "Tell you what, Asako," she started, smiling at the girl and not looking at her husband seated next to her, who had already sensed what she was about to say, "how about we have lunch again tomorrow, and I'll make bento for all of us?"

The little girl gasped in excitement. "Will you make the little octopus sausages? Those are my favorite!"

"Of course," Kagome grinned. "I knew someone else who liked them, too."

"Was it Dr. Nishimura?" Asako asked, wide-eyed and looking at her doctor from across the table. Her face scrunched up in deep concentration as she tried to imagine her serious doctor enjoying the little whimsical food. She gave up after a moment, deciding that image was too absurd to even be possible.

"No," Kagome giggled, earning a brief dirty look from Sesshoumaru, who found nothing amusing about the situation. "It was a little boy I knew once."

"Well," Asako started, holding up an orange in her small hands, "What happened to him?"

"Hm," Kagome thought for a moment, searching for a decent response to the little girl's question, "I guess he must be all grown up now." She had never really considered Shippou's whereabouts, mostly out of fear of assuming the worst. If she never asked, then she could go on believing in her head that the little fox demon she loved was now all grown up and strong, happily living his life among humans.

Asako lowered her spoon, noticing how wistful Kagome suddenly seemed. She felt a bit guilty for making the pretty lady sad. "I'm sorry," she said, earning a surprised look from both Kagome and Sesshoumaru, "I didn't mean to make you sad, Kagome."

Kagome's face instantly became red from embarrassment as she hurried to reassure the little girl. "No, no, it's not your fault, Asako, dear! Don't feel bad."

"But I…"

"Kagome is right, Asako," Sesshoumaru spoke up, though the little girl didn't look at him. She was staring at the three orange wedges on her plate with zero interest now. Sesshoumaru picked up his own plate and set it next to the little girl, knowing very well it was one of her favorite fruits to eat. "You did not do anything wrong, so wipe that look off your face."

Asako stared at the plate Sesshoumaru set in front of her. She looked up, lips quivering, but she mustered up the strength to force back her tears. "I didn't?"

"You did not, I promise," Kagome reassured gently. "Will you smile for me now?"

Asako nodded, slowly smiling and revealing a missing tooth. She turned her attention back to her orange. She licked it for a moment, pondering, and then asked aloud, "Will you two have babies someday?"

At this, both Sesshoumaru and Kagome froze, with the latter blushing brightly. Asako innocently tilted her head to the side, the little curls on her head seemed to bounce along with the movement. She looked at them expectantly with bright brown eyes.

"Yes, someday," Sesshoumaru said, being the first to compose himself.

Kagome gave him a surprised look, her face still a pretty shade of pink, and then she smiled.

"Yeah, someday," she repeated, slipping her hand under the table to reach for her husband's, who returned the gesture with a gentle squeeze of the hand.

Asako gave the two adults a knowing look, seeing they had both temporarily forgotten her in favor of their sudden admission. She grinned, and stuck an entire orange wedge into her mouth, happy to see her favorite doctor and his pretty wife smiling.


End file.
